Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Criminal Intent follows a distinct division of the New York City Police Department: the "Major Case Squad". The Major Case Squad investigates high-profile murder cases, such as those involving VIPs, local government officials and celebrities.
The episodes alternate between two teams of detectives: Team A episodes chronicle the cases of Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Detective Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe), while team B episodes follow the exploits of Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth) and Detective Megan Wheeler.
The series also focuses on the actions and motives of the criminals, rather than focusing exclusively on the police and prosecution, and the information they have. Criminal Intent episodes do not usually contain trials and unlike other Law & Order series, most Criminal Intent episodes end in confessions rather than plea bargains or verdicts.
Highlight episodes from Season 3 include A Murderer Among Us – The detectives try to link the suicide of an Argentine immigrant to her husband who has a history of violence.
While the subsequent investigation is not successful, they discover his hatred might be linked to a string of unsolved murders, Sound Bodies – Goren and Bishop pursue a teenage Svengali who convinces three impressionable young girls to commit multiple homicides in the cause of a twisted philosophy, The Saint – A man commits fraud, forgery, and murder to discredit the organization that took advantage of his mentally ill mother, impoverished his family, and ruined his childhood.
Both of these fantastic collections are perfect for fans of the Law & Order franchise and newcomers alike. Each episode is a standalone story so you can pick it up at any point and not feel like you’re losing the plot.
Kill some time and pick up your copy of Law & Order Criminal Intent Season 3 and Law & Order Special Victims Unit Season 8, out on DVD on 13th April.